I thought I was being smart.
Planning.
Protecting.
Preparing.
I called it strategy.
It was survival.
I didn’t realize
I was designing a life
around minimizing risk,
instead of maximizing meaning.
I optimized for safety
instead of significance.
I kept designing rules.
Trying to predict and prevent.
When what I needed
was rhythm.
I wanted predictability,
not rigidity.
Like overengineering
a decision for how to spend
my weekend instead of
leaving room for theboss.
The loop of protection
at the cost of participation.
Survival thinking
in the form of planning.
What helps me
interrupt that loop:
Am I building a strategy
to stay safe?
Or a system
to stay on purpose,
on purpose?
Survival protects me
from what could go wrong.
Living invites me into